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Lawyers for Lindsay Sandiford say she cannot afford a good lawyer for her appeal.

Judges at the High Court will today explain why they refused an appeal by Lindsay Sandiford for government help in fighting the firing squad.

The grandmother from Redcar was convicted last month of importing 4.8 kg of cocaine into Indonesia, and sentenced to death.

Last week the High Court in London turned down her appeal against a decision by the British government not to provide her with legal assistance in fighting the sentence.

Those judges will release the reasons for their decision later.

Mrs Sandiford's lawyers says she urgently needs funds because there was "no prospect" her family could afford a competent lawyer to represent her on appeal. They have called for the British government to help, or to support the charity, Reprieve, which is involved in her case.

A spokesman for the Foreign Office said: "We strongly object to the death penalty and continue to provide consular assistance to Lindsay and her family during this difficult time."

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A court in Indonesia has sentenced a British man to four years in jail for possessing drugs. 40-year-old Paul Beales also faced a further charge of selling them.

But because Beales was not considered the main player in the case, he escaped the death penalty.

Paul Beales escorted by a policeman as he arrived at his trial earlier this year Credit: Reuters

Beales was arrested in May this year, along with three other Britons - Lindsay Sandiford, Rachel Dougall and Julian Ponder - after authorities found nearly five kilogrammes of cocaine inside the lining of a suitcase which arrived at Bali's Ngurah Rai airport from Bangkok.

A 55-year-old British woman could face the death penalty in Indonesia after she was arrested for allegedly attempting to smuggle more than 4kg of cocaine into Bali.

Customs officers named the woman as Lindsay June Sandiford from Redcar on Teesside.

The woman was arrested at Bali's Ngurah Rai International Airport on May 19 after arriving on a flight from Bangkok. It is understood another two British nationals have also been arrested, along with a person travelling on an Indian passport.

After weighing, the total cocaine is 4.791kg. This is a big international network. The charge against them would carry the death penalty.

– Made Wijaya, Head of Customs, Bali Airport, speaking to AAP News Agency